MLS Fantasy 2014: Bakary Soumare Should Be Avoided

By Baxter Colburn

Kelly L. Cox-USA TODAY Sports

After being drafted No. 2 overall in the 2007 MLS Super Draft, Bakary Soumare has seen his career go from best to worst and back again. While his value to the Chicago Fire may be rather high, his value to your MLS Fantasy Soccer team is little to none.

Since joining the league back in 2007, Soumare has yet to play a full season for any of the four teams he has belonged too. His time in Europe did help grow his stock as a player, but once he returned to MLS, he struggled to stay on top of his form and eventually suffered a knee injury in 2012 that kept him out all season.

In 2013 he made the switch from the Philadelphia Union to his current club, the Chicago Fire. Soumare started and played in 22 matches for the Fire last season, logging 1,919 total minutes on the field.

Last season, Soumare was valued at $4.2 million. Now after a decent season for the Fire, he is going for a ridiculous $8 million. In no way am I trying to be cruel, but this man is not worth that kind of cash, especially when his numbers have been so staggered. Soumare did register 97 points in 2013, but considering he is about a third of the way down on the second page of available defenders to draft, it shows you just how far behind he was last season.

One positive of his 2013 campaign was that he did score one goal in the Fire’s 3-0 win over DC United, something any defender wishes to have happen at least once during their careers.

Posting the same price as newly acquired teammate Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Soumare is currently only being selected by 0.3 percent of all managers on MLS Fantasy Soccer, thus once again proving my point of how little he is valued across the league. The possibility is there for him to just make me look like a fool and have a tremendous 2014 season while helping guide the Fire back into the playoffs. Unfortunately, that has a very slim chance of happening.

Overall, Soumare is a player who should be avoided in 2014 and will be thought as one of the more overpriced players in this year’s draft pool.